Sounded Silence
by Inanimatepony
Summary: Life can throw things at you unexpectedly sometimes. Some things are good. Some things are bad. One cold and ill-fated day, PJ Berri gets something bad thrown at him, possibly changing his life forever... (Ported from Wattpad/AO3. Original upload date: May 3rd, 2018. Human!AU, ten year timeskip)
1. I Woke Up Like This

**PJ's POV**

I woke up a bit earlier than I usually do. Normally I'm up by noon, but today when I looked at the clock, it read 10:00. Weird.

I finally got out of bed a quarter after. Although, I was still a little groggy, so my sense of direction didn't kick in fully: I nearly tripped after bumping into my record shelf, knocking a few singles off.

 _But this story is just beginning._

When I opened my mouth to shout in pain, _nothing came out._

I tried to say " _What_?" but still nothing.

My breathing grew heavy and quick. I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs, but it only sounded like a dry heave. What happened to me that suddenly made me...mute?

I need to find someone. **Anyone**. _Where was Parappa at this hour?_


	2. The Other Side of Town

**Parappa's POV**

Fruites Cafè.

I've worked here part-time for a while now. It's my day off today, but I came in anyway.

 _To have breakfast with my lovely Sunny Hunny._

Her sweet smile. Her cotton candy hair. Every little thing about her gets me going. That's why these kinds of dates with her are my favorite. I even pay for it out of my own paycheck.

We had just finished everything. I hugged her tightly while she kissed me on the cheek. The very moment we released our grips, something grabs me from behind.

It's PJ. What's he doing up so early?

"Hey, PJ...what's up?" Escapes my lips in a worried tone. He looks up and at me dead in the eyes.

"Are you...crying?!" I kneel down, meeting his level. He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but then buried his face in my chest. Sunny is still here, just as concerned as I am.

"PJ, please, just tell us," Sunny says, "We've never seen you cry this much ever since you found out Phat Donut quit serving those crueller things."

Without hesitation, he pulls out his phone and types furiously. Both Sunny's and my text alerts go off.

 _I Don't know why or how, but I can't talk! I just woke up like this. I'm scared..._

The three of us huddle together. PJ needs to be with someone. He's scared of what this might do to him.

"You think you need a doctor?" Sunny asks. PJ nods furiously.


	3. Waiting Room

**PJ's POV**

The waiting room at the doctor's office was rather desolate. I didn't like it. (Of course, I didn't like it when it was crowded, either.)

Parappa was sitting next to me, holding Sunny's hand. The look fixed onto Parappa's face appeared as a mix of worry and what some people call "resting bitch face." His free hand supported his head while his thumb rolled around his cheek. _He had every right to be as worried as I was_. _He's been like a brother to me.We've known each otherpractically since we were babies._

Out of the sheer need of a hug, I nuzzled into Parappa's arm as if I were a cat. I squeezed his chest and felt him seize at my surprising amount of muscle. He squeezed mine even tighter in response. His breathing got shaky, as if he was crying. Turns out he _was._

"I'm...sorry..." he choked out.

I have so much to say to him, but I can't. I wanna tell him that I'll pull through. I wanna tell him to just worry about Sunny. I wanna tell him it will all be ok.

The nurse calls my name.


	4. I Need A Doctor

"Parlin Joseph Berri?"

The nurse calls my name.God, how I hate my full name.Never really got used to being called either of those.

 *** * ***

"You're not due for a check-up until August," remarks the doctor, "What brings you in so early?"

I hold my mouth, and nod towards Parappa.

Parappa sighs, "From what he's told us...he somehow can't talk. All we know is, he hasn't done anything that couldn't caused this, and he's really scared."

"You sure you don't remember doing anything that could've caused this?" the doctor asked. I nod my head. The Doctor tells me to open my mouth, which I do. After looking inside, he pulls out a swab. _God how I hate when they do that._

Parappa is holding Sunny's hand again. His head is hanging low, and I can tell he's trying his hardest not to get worked up: the doctor hasn't even come back with the results yet. I lay down on the exam table, the crinkle of the parchment atop it somewhat easing me.

The doctor comes back.

"As much as it baffles me to say this, you-"

"Give it to me, doc!" Parappa interupts. His breathing is shaky. He kneels on the floor, burying his face in his knees.

"...no disease could've caused this," the doctor continued, "I'm no neurologist, but I think it might a weakened nerve that shut off your ability to talk..."

 ** _What?_**

I fell off the exam table, right next to Parappa. I squeeze his chest, and he squeezes mine.

* * *

 **Parappa's POV**

"PJ...buddy..." my voice was trembling, "I'm so sorry..."

I began crying like a baby. PJ bit my shoulder, but I was too busy bawling to react.


	5. That Night

**PJ's POV**

I distraughtedly went to my night gig at Club Fun. Deejays don't really talk unless it's necessary, so maybe it won't be such a big deal.

The request box was chock full of cards, so I randomly pulled one out.

" _Play Hurricane by The Fray_."

I know that handwriting. _It's Paula's_.We've been dating off and on, but she still needs to know. I randomly pull a record out and play it on the turntable before slipping down and making my way though the crowd to find her.

When I spotted her, I waved my arms recklessly. Then I realized her gaze wasn't fixed on anything. One option sparked inside my brain: **run**.And so I did. When I stopped running, I trapped Paula in a cicada block, my head just barely touching her breasts.

"What's got you so antsy, party boy?" She says in an almost deadpan tone. I look her dead in the eyes, barely seeing my stressed and exhausted reflection in them.

I wanted to pull out my phone, since it was the only way I could explain this, but _then I remembered I left it on the turntable._ It was my way of freestyling. I just opened my mouth at pointed my finger in it.

"What does that mean?" Paula asked, "you sick or somethin'?"

My face went red. Before I could do anything else, a hand touches my shoulder.

"Ey! Stop flirtin'!" The voice and hand belonged to King Kong Mushi, the head of Club Fun. He pulls on the neck of my jacket and drags me back to the turntable.

I frantically searched for my phone. I type as fast as my hot fingers could:

"I've got nerve damage that shut off my speech. In other words, I can't talk!"

When I look up, Paula is standing there in front of me. I hear her phone buzz, and she pulls it out to read my message.

 _Her phone slips out of her hand._

 ** _She picks it up and bolts away._**


	6. Home

"Hey, man...wake up...ya fell asleep on the turntable again."

King Kong Mushi was right next to me, rubbing my back. _Boy, he looked like he had a fun night_. Not me, though: my head was pounding like a tribal drum, and my mouth reeked of beer and donuts.I couldn't even stand up, I felt so out of it.

"Need a ride home?" Mushi asked. I couldn't ask if he was sober or not, so I just nodded yes.

When we made our way to Mushi's car, I just plopped down in the back seat. I didn't even bother to put on a seatbelt. Once you lay down in King Kong Mushi's car, you realize how _disgusting_ this man really is. The slight stench of marijuana, Chunky Burger wrappers all over the floor, stains from you don't even wanna know where in the fuck they came from, grocery bags filled with ripe vomit, I could go on for a long time. But I don't care about this pigsty he calls his car. I just wanna go home. No one can bare with riding with him, and I was no exception. The moment the engine started, I blew chunks out the window. There go those donuts I mentioned earlier. I sank down in the back seat, letting the motion of the car lull me to sleep.

"Hey, get up. We're at your house."

Mushi's voice woke me up again. I could still taste my episode of vomiting. A Chunky Burger wrapper was stuck to my foot.I just wanted to get inside my house and clean myself up.

When I got a good look of my house, Paula was sitting on the steps, almost nodding off.

I knelt down to where she sat, gently patting her back.

"...hi PJ..." she groaned. I helped her stand up, then walked her inside.


	7. Can We Just Talk?

**PJ'S POV**

 _I really needed a shower._

I had Paula sit on my collapsed couch before I did anything else.

"Where you goin'?" She asks. I point in the direction that my bathroom is in. She just makes a "tsk" noise and turns on the TV. I roll my eyes and continue on my way.

 **Paula's POV**

Nothing good is on TV today. Does this guy even have cable?

Turning my focus away, I could hear running water in the next room. I would call him rude for taking a shower while he had company, but I'm not blaming him. He looked like he really needed one.

...

When he came back into the living room, he had a notepad in his hands. Without thinking, I shifted positons on the couch, laying my legs in his lap. He glanced at me weirdly, then began scribbling on the notepad. When he finishes, he hands it over to me.

 _Do you remember that text I sent you last night?_

Last night? I don't remember that at all. PJ looks at me, takes the notepad back, and scribbles some more on it.

 _Why did you check your phone and run away?_

Without another word, I check my phone again. His message is there. If I remember getting that, would I have really reacted like that?

 _ **Then it hit me.**_

I didn't run away because of that.

"PJ..." I sigh, "there's a different reason as to why I did that..."

He suddenly pulls me in close. I hang my head low. Here goes nothing.

 _"...I think I might be pregnant."_


	8. Wait, What?

**PJ's POV**

I pull Paula in close, and she hangs her head low. She looks up at me, my worried expression reflecting in her deep purple eyes.

"I think I might be pregnant."

 ** _What_?**

My thoughts are off the racetrack at this point. I wanna yell at her. We're not even that close, why does she think this?

"I'm sorry," she sighs, "just seems everything in life is so sudden now, isn't it? I mean, you've lost your ability to speak, for one, and I-I think,-" she cuts herself off and hides her face in a dirty pillow. I gently pat her back: it feels like it's the only thing I can do at this point. When she lifts her head back up, an instinct kicks in, and I squeeze her.

"PJ, I'm sorry...I don't know what to do either."

 *** * ***

I held Paula's hand the way Parappa holds Sunny's hand. I know I said we're not that close, but I feel like I'm getting closer to her. Her thumb is in her mouth, most likely out of nervousness. I wanna tell her that whatever will happen next, I'll help her figure something out.

The doctor comes back.

"How do you want me to break this to you, Ms Fox?" He asked.

"Just tell me," Paula makes her point clear, "no bullshit. Am I...am I pregnant or not?"

"...you are, Ms. Fox."

I hold Paula tight. There really is a child, if not mine, inside of her.


	9. Sweet Nightmares

***Fair warning: chapter gets pretty gorey.***

 **No set POV**

A vast kingdom. Streets paved in gilded rock candy, lampposts made of twizzlers, sugar glass bulbs in every lamp, rivers of lemon-lime soda, everything is food!

Who would rule such a tasty land, you may ask? Our king is none other than the plump PJ Berri. Everybody loves him! He's the best king there ever was! He comes onto the scene now, bringing his brand new queen, Paula.

"Attention, attention! King PJ and his new queen Paula are coming this way! They have great news!" cheers the squire.

King PJ opens his mouth to speak, but alas, nothing. The crowd of citizens murmurs in shock. He tries to speak again, but still nothing. He smacks a hand on his mouth, his freckled face blushing a deep rose. When he removes his hand, it's colored a deeper red. He kneels down, using his staff for support. He throws a coughing fit, blood spurting out of his mouth. The citizens run away in fear, the gathering hall is desolate. He throws up a bloody bile of chewy donuts. Now his queen has left him! He glances down, discovering he's suddenly wearing nothing but his crown and robe. The skin on his chest is melting away, exposing his sticky rib cage, along with his rapidly beating heart, off-color lungs, and seemingly black upper digestive tract. It thunders and pours down rain as his abdomen splits open, spilling his blackened intestines. He frantically tries to pick them up put them back where they came, but the lengthy ropes of gut just keeps spilling out, eventually kinking as if they were a 20-foot hose. The putrid acid burns his hands.

 _Eventually, he just gives up and falls to the bloodied ground, accepting his messy fate._

PJ woke up suddenly, drenched in cold and sticky sweat.


	10. Stressed Out

**Sunny's POV**

Parappa is pacing behind the couch that I'm sitting on. This whole ordeal with PJ is really starting to take a toll on him. He stops at the door, bangs his head on it, then plops down on the couch.

"You OK?" _What a stupid question for me to ask. Of course he's not ok_.He just huffs in response, then takes off his beanie. I scooch closer to him, trying to get words out of him. When he looks over at me, his expression goes neutral. I grab the end of his ponytail and begin to fiddle with it.

"Stop that," he sighs, "that's not helping anything." My arm falls on his shoulder.

"You heard anything from PJ lately?" I ask absent-mindedly.

"Apparently Paula's living with him now," he finally responds, "she's pregnant or somethin'."

"Oh?" I cock my head as if I were a puppy.

"Yeah, I think he's still wrapping his mind around that one, too. They...they never really were that close to begin with..."

I kiss him on the cheek. He looked like he needed that.

"Thanks," he chuckled.

"I love you," I say while hugging him.

He hugs me back. "Love you too."


	11. Ya Should've Brought A Gun

***Fair warning: some violence. And no one is explicitly mentioned.***

 **No Set POV**

It's a bustling night at Club Fun. The auburn haired DJ is running the turntable again, sometimes using his phone to freestyle.

The club's owner, an overweight black male most likely in his early 40s, is accompanied by two other males, one also black and the other Hispanic. They enjoy themselves with some herb.

Not much later, a young adult Caucasian male joins in.

"Parappa!" The owner heartily laughs, "I hardly recognize ya without that hat!"

"Hahaha, whassup my man?" The Hispanic one is completely zonked out. The third party member is too busy with his pipe to even notice anything.

"Don't talk to me," the young adult scoffs.

The owner tips his shades briefly.

"Pass me one, Mushi. I'm having a rough night."

It didn't take long for the drug to affect the young adult. The minute it reached his brain, his hands tingle as he witnesses them morph into paws. He holds his head when a migraine hits it, feeling long ears underneath his hair. It suddenly smelled like dog.

"Yo, Parappa, you ok? You've never had _that much_ before."

The young adult coiled once he heard that voice. It belonged to Club Fun's owner, but the drug in the young adult's system was portraying him as a large, purple tick.

"I-I said don't talk to me!" The young adult snapped, "Go away!"

The young adult started barking loudly, which, if you're not seeing what he is, makes him look rather stupid.

 *** time skip, one hour later. ***

The young adult sneaks out of Club Fun, his hair covering his slightly red eyes. He isn't super high, but it was enough to ease him. The terrible migraine is still shooting at his head.

As he makes his way back home, someone grabs him by his hoodie and pulls him in an alleyway. He lets out a worried gasp.

"Well, well, well!" a shrill voice mocks him, "if it isn't Parappa Rappa! What are you up to these days, huh?!"

The young adult's vision clears up. Before him is a tall, skinny, rugged adult male, who-knows-how much older than him. His face is covered by a rabbit mask.

"Ga-Gaster?" The young adult gasps, "I-I thought you've been in prison since I was in college!"

"Escaped," another voice bellows, this one a deep cockney accent, "They don' jus _let_ our kind out like that."

The ambusher had a partner. Build-wise, he was the exact opposite: short, plump, and a little bit wiser. He is wearing a cat mask.

The black-haired male begins hyperventilating. Those two could hold a grudge against him until the end of time:hewas the very reason they got arrested.

"Pat him," the skinnier, shrill voiced male snips. His partner searches the hyperventilating young adult. "Nothin'," the plump one states, "not even a wire."

"What?!" the skinny one shrieks. He pulls out a switchblade, grabs the black hair over his victim's eyes, and hacks it off, scratching his temple and forehead in the process. No doubt about it, he was mad.

The young adult is practically being held against his will. He starts crying. The plumper one pulls out his knife and slashes the crier's leg, just below his knee. "Stop that, or we're _really_ give ya somethin' to cry about!"

All seems hopeless. They have knives: he has nothing. Then he remembers.

 ** _Kick, Punch, it's all in the mind._** ** _Don't get cocky: It's gonna get rocky._**

 _He knows karate._ _ **Karate must only be used for self defense.**_ _What better time than right now?_

The skinny male gets kicked right in his crotch. He lets go of his victim, falling to the concrete.

His partner ambushes the black-haired male by pouncing on his back. He is suddenly top heavy. He tries grabbing the weight off, but his hand is slit. He tries slapping it off, but his cheek is slit.His back gets a huge slice carved in in, causing him to fall on the concrete.

 _Then he sees the skinny one dropped his knife._

The young adult grabs it as fast as he can, then slices the plump one's eye, causing him to let go. When finally free, the young adult runs.

 ***BREAKING NEWS!!!***

 _Just outside of Club Fun, a fight has been reported. Although it was two against one, the person that the two thugs were holding against his willmanaged to win. He appears nowhere on the scene, but police have identified the two others as two of Parappa Town's most wanted criminals, violating several cases of kleptomaniaand illegal drug distribution. They have been arrested and are suspect to face a 20-to-life prison sentence._ _This was Rodney Greenblat, reporting live from Club Fun in Parappa town._


	12. Fix You

**Sunny's POV**

I was awoken by a loud thud repeatedly coming from downstairs. I had to investigate: Parappa wasn't there with me.

 _He was at the door. He looked like a hobo._

 ** _"PARAPPA! IT'S 3 IN THE MORNING! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!"_** I uncontrollably yell in his face. He looks up, burps, then picks up a clay pot, only to violently vomit in it. (Sorry, Grandma...)

He stumbles inside to find the couch and plop on it, screaming into the pillow on the arm.

"Look, I'm sorry I exploded like that," I apologize, "it's just so late and you weren't-" I stop mid-sentence when I noticed that, while I was rubbing his back, I get blood on my hand. There's a huge slice carved in his back, not so well hidden behind his unkempt hair.

"Sit up," I tell him. He does, and I ease the bloodstained hoodie and shirt off of him. His arm, hand, and face are also slit. His body and breathing are shaky.

"Oh my god...Parappa, what happened?!"

Tears roll down his face. He winces when his tears get into the wound on his cheek

"I just.." he chokes on his tears, "I just went out to tire myself, but-but these two guys found me, and-and-" he stops mid-sentence and makes his crying audible. He suddenly pulls up his right pants leg, revealing another gash below his knee. "They had knives..." he chokes out again, "they got me pretty good...I'm sorry I woke you up looking like this!"

He's crying like a baby.

Without another word, I leave to get a first-aid kit. He needs a good cleaning up.

"Hey, hey...it's ok..." I try to calm him down, "I know things are looking bad, and I know it keeps you up at night, just..." I get a good look at his face. His eyes are red. It didn't seem like he was crying that long.

"Did you go to 'have fun' with Mushi?"

He nods. "I'm sorry...it was all I could think of..."

"Takes a big man to admit his mistakes."

I start cleaning up his wounds, starting with his face. Once I dab a peroxide-soaked cotton ball at him, he winces again.

"You are such a baby," I softly chuckle, "It doesn't stingthatbad."

He just pouts at me.

It took a good thirty minutes for me to fix him up: those cuts seemed so minor at first, but they were actually pretty deep. The slice in his back, though, that's another story. I was afraid we'd have to resort to getting him stitches: thankfully that wasn't the case.

"Feel any better?" A stupid question, I know, but he's pretty sore.

He just looks me dead in the eyes, then pulls me in by my arms.

"Sunny...oh, my sweet Sunny Hunny," he says, "I cannot thank you enough! I know you'll always love me, even if I go out and do stupid shit like this, I just-" he stops, and looks down.

 ** _"God, I love you so fucking much."_**

Without hesitation, he kisses me. Passionately. On the lips. His breath is rancid, but I don't care. _This is a moment to seize._ His weight pushes me down. His foot is tapping restlessly, and his heart is pounding as if it would burst out of his chest and into mine. He's not usually this good a kisser: he must be happy to know I was there. Suddenly, I feel something poke at me.

 _Oh, Parappa, you just can't contain yourself, can you?_

"GAH!" he pulls away in shock, "I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me..." His face is glowing read and his legs are crossed. I hear him yell"Down, boy!"through gritted teeth.

"Come upstairs," I giggle while patting his shoulder, "You need to rest."


	13. Rundown of Everything

**Parappa's POV**

 _I barely remember last night._

What I do know is, whatever I did, or how high I was, Sunny was there for me.

 _God, I love that woman._

I took a look at myself in the mirror. I was wrapped in so many bandages I nearly felt like a damn mummy.

 _Oh my, Parappa_ , I heard my dad's voice echo in my brain, _what have you gotten yourself into?_

The bandages wrapped on me were crusted in blood stains, and they itched really bad. I pick at them some, but a voice intrudes and scares me.

"Par, please don't mess with those," Sunny sighs as she enters, "you had quite a rough night. Why'd you think I let you sleep in?"

The clock on the wall read 1:33pm. Letting me sleep in this late almost seemed _too_ nice,even for Sunny Funny standards: I must've come home really late. Sunny grabs my right hand and unravels the cotton tape on it. A habit kicks in, causing me to squeeze her hand once mine is free.

"You are such a dork," Sunny chuckles. My face goes bright rose, "Try your best not to use this one, ok?" I squeeze her when she finishes. "You do so much for me," I say in a low voice.

 *** * ***

PJ's house isnt the prettiest sight, but then again, he was never the tidiest person I've known. It felt good knowing _I_ was visiting _him_ for once. These past few days he's just been coming to me, and we both needed a change. I knocked at least six times before getting impatient.

"Yo! Anybody in here?!" I yelled, "It's Parappa."

Paula was the one to answer the door. Her hair was tied into a bandanna, and she wore one of PJ's Club Fun hoodies. Given his larger build, it looked quite massive on her.

"I know what you're trying to hide," slips out of my mouth, "PJ told me."

Paula just hangs her head in shame. "Niether of us know how it why...this happened," she motions at her stomach, "life is just so sudden for the both of us at this point."

She didn't even mention my bandages. Weird.

"Can I come in?" I slowly ask.

"I guess. Mind the clutter, though: the lump on the couch refuses to help me clean up a bit."

PJ was sound asleep on his collapsed couch. I wanted to wake him up, but a note was stuck on his arm that read "Long night. Don't bother me." _You and me both, buddy._

"You need any help?" I absent-mindedly asked Paula. She glares at me and throws a broom to me. I know Sunny told me to try and not use my right hand, but I needed to do some good things to try and rule out all this shit life is throwing at us. It just feels right.

"What's got you looking so roughed up?" Paula finally noticed I was wearing bandages in various places.

"I don't remember," I try to think, "but I know I went out last night because I was tense."

"You weren't at Club Fun, were ya? Heard on the radio some street thugs broke out of prison and assaulted a passerby, but said passerby beat 'em up and ran off."

 _Then it hit me._

 _I_ was the passerby.

 _I_ beat up Gaster and his buddy.

 _I_ ran away.

"Um! Earth to Parappa!" Paula snapped me back.

"...I was there..." I said half still in a trance.

"Huh?!"

"They had knives...I felt helpless...I remembered my karate lessons as a last result...that's what these bandages are for..."


	14. Family Matters (PJ)

**PJ's POV**

They say home is where the heart is, but there almost _wasn't_ one where I grew up. My father left when I was 7, and actually came back when I was 12. My mother is a wreck because of it. Despite me almost being a reminder of him, she cherished me greatly, and almost didn't want me to move out. It took a lot of courage to actually go up to that door.

 _My mother was the one to answer._

As soon as she sees me, she squeezes me tightly and pulls me into the house.

"Parlin, I'm so glad you came back!" She yells as if heartbroken. She's actually crying. I can do nothing except squeeze her back. The feeling I get in my throat whenever I wanna yell is back, and even though I don't wanna release my grip, I do. I frantically search for a notepad. When I do, my hand scribbles wildly.

 _"My nerves are damaged. I lost my voice and I'm not getting it back. A friend I used to date is pregnant."_

She kisses my forehead, as mothers do. I end off with writing, _"Life is so sudden, now."_

"It really is, isn't it?" She chuckles then sighs. She buries her face in her hands and cries again. I tear off part from the notepad and hand it to her.

 _"What's wrong?"_

"I tried to reach you, but I didn't think you would take it like I did..." she chokes on her tears. I hold her in a death grip.

"Your father passed away a couple of weeks ago."


	15. Family Matters (Paula)

**Paula's POV**

There I am, just sitting in my childhood living room. My mother's in the kitchen, and I don't know where my father is. The table is dusty, there's no cable, and the stairs' railing is still busted from that incident I had with my brothers as a kid. _I grew up in a dump,_ and it was the only reason I could tolerate living in PJ's craphole.

"Everything ok, sweetie?" My mom comes into the living room with milkshakes. I restlessly stirred at it with my straw.

"Where's dad?" I sigh, "I wanna talk about this with the both of you."

"Probably asleep."

 ***time skip, 3:37pm***

"So, you wanna run this down with the both of us, huh?" My dad sighs heavily as he plops down on the empty seat next to me.

I sigh heavily. People take news differently. How wouldtheytake it? Words couldn't come out of my mouth.

"It's ok," my mom reassures, "you can tell us anything."

"You know PJ?" I finally speak, "auburn hair, always sleepy, smells like stale donuts?"

"I thought you said you two weren't ' _official_ ,'" my dad replies in a deadpan tone. We exchange looks.

"Well...we kind of are, now. Not long ago we discovered he lost his voice and can't get it back..." My head hangs low.

"Does he need someone to help communicate?" My mom asks. I don't answer, still thinking things through.

"There's something else you should know, too..." I finally let out.

Both of them lean into me.

"You're...You're gonna be grandparents!" Those words just flew out of my mouth.


	16. Family Matters (Parappa)

**Parappa's POV**

 _It's good to be back._

I was back in the more suburban part of Parappa Town. No noise, no bright lights, no busy people, no nothing. I seriously needed a break from life, and going back to where I began was perfect. I went to ring the doorbell, but someone was there waiting for me.

"BIG BROTHER!" my young sister, Pinto, greeted me with a bear hug. She was suddenly taller than me, not by much, and it felt weird:Iwas always the tall one.

"Hey, sis!" I chuckle while ruffling her hair, "how's school treatin' ya?"

"Bro, I'm in college!" she laughs, "I signed up online last year."

It's been so long since I've seen her, I knew I had to do some catching-up with my folks. Pinto is looking at my duffel bag and pondering.

"Oh, can you get mom and dad?" I snap back into reality. She nods, then darts off, prompting me to let myself in. As I look around, I notice Pinto's been playing on "my" GameCube again (I say it like that because when I introduced her to Animal Crossing she hasn't let me touch it)

I finally settle down in the kitchen after grabbing a coke from the fridge. It tasted flat, like someone wanted it then changed their mind.

"Hey, hey, big guy!" my dad pats me on the back, "what's got you back so soon?"

I assumed that he noticed the duffel bag still on my shoulder. He said that last part like I haven't been gone for more than a week, when in reality it's actualy been two years.

"It's just...stuff has been going on between my friends and I wanted to get away: my first instinct just so happened to be coming back here." I let out a deep sigh. My mom is holding my left arm, inspecting the cotton tape.

"What did you do...?" her gentle voice eases me, "you weren't in a fight, were you?!"

"Not exactly," I answer in a low voice, "hear in the news about the two jailbirds trying to mug someone but he beat em up and ran off?"

Everybody nods.

"Their victim was me. Took a little bit of a beating."

Everyone suddenly hugs me. My mom is crying, my dad has a death grip on me, and my sister is sitting on my lap like she did when we when younger.


	17. Family Matters (Sunny)

**Sunny's POV**

As I'm watching TV, I hear the purr of a car pull in. I know exactly who it is.

My father, the famed, retired General who had a hand in stopping the Noodle Syndicate, James "Potter" Funny. Rather than let him reach the door, I bolted out to greet him.

"Somebody's missed me!" He heartily laughs when I bear hug him. I had nearly forgotten how burly he was: even moreso impressed he kept that way at his age. I grab his hand and lead him inside.

"Where's that boyfriend o' yours?" He asks once he settles down, "writin' songs in the garage again?"

"Well, no..." I sigh, "remember PJ?"

He nods slowly, like he does whenever he knows bad news is heading his way.

"Something's...PJ lost his voice and can't get it back, and it's really taking a toll on Parappa: he's known him longer than he's known me. He's gone back to live with his family until he can get his head straight..."

I scoot closer to him.

"I'm just...really worried about him."

He pats my back, sighing.

"I'm glad you don't drink or smoke."


	18. Hey, Brother

**Parappa's POV**

Tonight is a beautiful one. Reminds me of my first real date with Sunny.

 _Too bad I'm alone on my roof._

The smell of the outdoors is nice, at least.

I take out a glass tube from my duffel bag, filling it with herb. I need to ease my mind again.

"Bro," a voice intrudes as I flick a lighter. _It's Pinto._ I hide the tube in my pants and swivel towards her.

"Hey sis," I attempt a boisterous reply, "what are you doing up late?"

"Bro. I'm 19. I can be up as late as I want."

"Right, right. Sorry. Been a couple of years since I've seen ya. How old were you when I moved out? 16?"

Pinto is giving me a stinkeye as she pokes her head out the window. She motions me to come back inside.

"So, whyareyou back?" Pinto asks me as she sits on my lap. She's getting a little big for this, but I know she loved it when she was little, so I just let her do it.

"You remember my bud PJ, right?" I sigh.

She nods.

"Well, something's happened, and I just need to-"

"Are you dating him now or something?"

 **"Pinto, I live with Sunny."**

She giggles, as if she was toying with me.

"PJ...lost his voice..."

"So?"

"So?! HE'S NEVER GONNA GET IT BACK! WE'RE TALKING NERVE DAMAGE HERE!"

I fall on my bed, crying my eyes out.

"PJ...buddy...I've known you forever...I wanna help..."

Pinto wiggles between my arms. "You look like you need a hug."

I hold her in a death grip.

"Thanks, sis."

"Everything ok in here?" My mom asks.

"It's OK, mom," Pinto says, "I can handle him."

Dead silence fills my room. My sister knows me better than anyone else, even my own parents.

As I fell asleep, I thought about my memories with PJ.


	19. When I Met You (Flashback)

**A/N: just like Chapter 11, no one is explicitly mentioned in the chapter (and the next.) [Cowan=Parappa]**

 **No set POV**

Plink! Plink! Plink!*

A little black-haired boy was banging a xylophone, much to the Preschool Teacher's annoyance.

"Cowan, sweetie, why don't you give that a rest?" The teacher asks him. The boy just grabs the xylophone and holds it close to his chest.

"Or, maybe not..."

The plinking continues. The boy is bumped in the back by a red-haired boy, about a year older than him.

"Can you knock it off?!" The redhead groggily commands.

"Parlin, be nice!" the teacher raises her voice slightly, "and it's not even nap time yet."

"Is it snack time yet?" The redhead gets up off his back.

"Not yet. Almost, sweetie."

The plinking stopped. The black-haired little boy scoots over to the sleepy redhead.

"Sorry," the black haired boy says, "it's just one of my favorite toys!"

"Mine's the kitchen!" The redhead replies, "too bad I can't eat anything there...my tummy's empty."

"You're funny!" the black-haired boy giggles, "my name is Cowan, what's yours?"

"My daddy calls me PJ."

The black-haired boy lets go of the xylophone. "Wanna play?"

"Sure!"

The plinking continues. The teacher is annoyed yet again. "It was fun while it lasted..." she sighs.

 _Just like that, the little black haired boy made his first friend._


	20. My First Sleepover (Flashback)

**No Set POV**

"I'm not **_FUCKING DRUNK_**!"

An overweight male yells at his wife. Their auburn-haired boy is cowering in fear from the other room. He wonders why his father is like this.

"Why did you even start this?!" The woman yells. Their son was no older than 7, but he knew to stay out of this. What did his father do? What did his mother do?

What did _he_ do?

The sounds of glass breaking and hard thuds come from the kitchen. The boy can't bear to see his parents fight like this. He starts crying. He runs to his room.

He pulls a backpack from his closet, fills it with clothes, opens the window, and runs. He needs to stay as far away from this as possible.

Cowan is sitting on his couch, playing Wave Race on his Nintendo 64. His parents are busy with his 16-month-old sister, so he needed to occupy himself. The doorbell rings. Since his parents are nowhere to be seen, he answers it.

"Hi, PJ!" Cowan greets his redheaded friend.

"Hey, can I stay here a few nights?" PJ responds.

"Like a sleepover?" Cowan cocks his head.

"Kind of."

"Wait here."

Cowan runs to find his parents.

"Mama?! Papa?! PJ's here!"

"Could you keep it down?" His father approaches him and responds, "it's Pinto's nap time."

"Sorry," Cowan's voice goes soft, "PJ's at the door and wants to know if he can sleep over."

"Are his parents ok with it?"

"I didn't see his parents."

Cowan meets PJ back at the door, his father tagging along.

"Where are your parents, PJ?" Cowan's father asks the redhead.

"They're...back at home...yelling at each other..." escapes PJ's mouth, "don't even know I'm gone...I don't wanna be in the middle of all that..." he breaks down to tears and hugs Cowan's father.

"I'm sorry to hear that..." Cowan's father consoles PJ, "you are a little young to be running away like this, but if you need a place to stay away from family drama..."

Cowan looks at his father with puppy-dog eyes.

"...you're more than welcome to stay here."

"SLEEPOVER!" Cowan excitably yells.

"Cowan, shush! Remember Pinto!"

PJ cocks his head.

"Oh, I have a sister now."


	21. We Can Work It Out

**PJ's POV**

Paula is crying in my chest. She has every right to be upset: she's confused about what she should do. I wanna talk to her, I wanna tell her that we can work out all this mess.

 _To be honest, I wanna cry too. My father just passed away, and I didn't know about it until just the other day._

"They...they disowned me..." she cries out, "I'm...I'm not ready to commit my life to you...I don't wanna marry someone I don't know if I love or not!"

She looks me dead in the eyes, hers red from crying so much.

 **"I don't wanna get rid of this child."**

A very bold statement of hers to make.

"But...are we fit to raise it?"

I find my notepad, then write, "We're gonna be fine. Family isn't always perfect."

"Are you sure?" Her voice sounded as if it was breaking.

I nod. Paula squeezes my chest.

The fact that we've come this far, it bewilders me. We never even given our relationship deep thought.


	22. On My Mind (Flashback)

**No Set POV**

Paula was stuck in dreamland yet again. Everything was perfect.

"Um! Earth to Paula!" Katy snapped her back in reality. Paula lightly punched Katy in the chest.

"She's so into it when she daydreams," Matt muttered toward Parappa, "wonder what she thinks about."

Parappa wasn't listening: his nose was stuck in his Gameboy. Matt rolled his eyes and turned to Paula. Her face was pink.

"So, uh, Paula..." Matt began, trying to make conversation, "What's been on your mind?"

"Like _you_ need to know," Paula snipped. Matt huffed in response. What would it take to reach her?

"Hey, Parappa, can you-"

Matt stopped himself when he realized Parappa was still stuck in his Gameboy. His look turned to annoyance, then snatched it clean out of his hands.

"Give it back!" Parappa cried out, "I was on a 50-something battle streak!"

"Later. I need you to try and get Paula to spill the beans on what she keeps thinking about."

"When are you so nosy all of a sudden?"

"PARAPPA! I JUST WANT TO KNOW WHAT COULD BE SO IMPORTANT TO HER!"

"You like her or something?"

"Oh, _shut up_."

Parappa just smiled awkwardly.

"Parappa, please. It can't be as important as hanging out with us."

"Ok, _dad._ "

Matt scowled at Parappa. He hated it when Parappa called him that. In slight fear, Parappa shuffled towards Paula.

"What?" Paula was still angry about being snapped out of her fantasy.

"Whatcha been thinking about?" Parappa cocked his head.

"Nothing **you** need to worry about."

Parappa frowns and turns to Matt while shrugging. Matt sighs as he tosses Parappa's Gameboy back to him. Once he looked at it, he gasped in fear: his prized Manectric was in the red. His fingers started flying at the buttons.

"I gotta crack her somehow..." Matt muttered.


	23. Like an Egg (flashback)

"...and she just glared at us like we were accusing her of something!" Parappa stated, "I just don't get it."

"It's because your a boy," Pinto teased.

"Whazzat supposed to mean?" The 14-year-old boy looked at his 8-year-old sister funny.

"It means boys don't thinks like girls, bro."

"What's different?"

Pinto just shrugged. Parappa tsked as he eased his sister off his lap: his leg was falling asleep.

"Matt wants nothing to do with anything else," he continued after stretching, "he just wants to get Paula to spit it out!"

"Has he talked to her?" Pinto asked as she fell backwards on her brother's bed.

"Didn't work."

"What about you?"

Parappa shook his head.

"What about Sunny? She's a girl."

Parappa's face went instant tomato.

"What?! I was just saying! My friend tells me her older sister gossips constantly with her friend, and she's a girl! Maybe Paula needs a girl to talk to..."

"Y'know, sis...you might be onto something..."

"Are you _sure_ this will work?" Matt sighed as he stirred at his milkshake. He was growing impatient.

"It _will_!" Parappa whined, "trust me, I got advice on this."

Matt gazed at Parappa flatly.

"You turned to your sister for advice again, didn't you?"

Parappa's face turned pink.

"Parapa, she's freakin' eight. What couldsheknow about this-"

"Shush!"

Parappa bolted at the sight of one pink-haired girl.

"Hi Sunny!" He wasted no time greeting her.

"Hey, Parappa!" Sunny greeted back, causing Parappa's face to glow red, "You called me to meet you here?"

"Oh-yeah! Well, you see..."

Parappa's words got caught in his throat. He still hadn't worked up the courage to talk to the girl of his dreams. He turned around and jumped at the presence of Matt.

"We, uh...we have a favor to ask..." was all Parappa could say before turning away and covering his face with his beanie. The word "idiot" repeated itself in his brain.

"You know Paula?" Matt asked, the impatience still in his voice. Sunny nodded in slight confusion.

"Somethin's up with her. I wanna know what, but she won't talk to us. So genius over here (he gestured at Parappa) thought you'd be a better candidate for her to open up to. Apparently he thinks girls do that kinda thing."

Parappa groaned loudly at Matt's statement, then ran to hide in the bathroom.

"Look, can you just...talk with her and see if she tells you anything? I'm getting tired of hanging out at this dump."

"I mean...I guess I can..." Sunny sighed, slightly disappointed that Parappa didn't wanna just hang out.

"S-Sunny!" Parappa yelled as he exited the bathroom, "We'll still hang out...we still need to wait on Paula..."

Matt rolled his eyes and went to order another milkshake. "Parappa, this better work. I'm getting antsy."


	24. DJ Got Me Fallin in Love (flashback)

The four friends all sat together near a window: it was Sunny's suggestion. Matt poked and prodded at his food-he was never really one to like greasy stuff. _Couldn't have picked somewhere nicer, could you, dude?_ He thought.

But the main reason they were here was sitting right next to him.

"So!" Matt cleared his throat, "How's everybody doing?" He made an attempt to get at leastoneother person to talk.

Their table was the only silent one. Parappa was too busy gushing over Sunny to do or say anything, prompting Matt to kick him underneath the table. They exchanged glares.

"Well, I'm staying at my aunt's next week while my dad goes away for a business trip..." Sunny began, "what about you, Paula?"

"Oh, not a whole lot, really, " Paula sighed while playing with her fries. Matt huffed. What would it take?

"...but I was at Club Fun last Saturday...that DJ is really cute..."

Parappa snapped out of his lovestruck daze when he heard those words.

"Uh, what's this DJ look like?" He practically spat those words out.

"It was kinda dark, so I might not be correct, but...his skin was tanned, kinda like Sunny's, but a bit darker, he had auburn hair that was kinda messy...and I'm not entirely sure, but I think he had some freckles on his face..."

Parappa knew exactly who fit that description: all that was missing was the ability to sleep anywhere at anytime, almost like a cat. He motioned for Matt to lean in towards him.

"PJ works at Club Fun on weekends," Parappa whispers, "do you think maybe-"

"Paula?! No way!" Matt whispers back.

"I'm just saying, it's worth a shot..."

Parappa pokes his head out from the conversation.

"I happen to know who your talking about!" He stated.

"Wait. Really?!" Paula was estatic.

"Yeah!"

"Tell Me! Who is it?"

"...PJ. You know, PJ Berri? Kinda fat, will sleep through a hurricane, almost eats his own weight in everything?"

Paula's smile quickly grew into a frown.

"What? Nah, that can't possibly be right..."

"Well, he fits just about everything else he says!"

"Psh! It probably just looked like him."

"Paula. I'm serious."

Paula fell backwards in her chair.

"Way to go, Parappa," Matt quipped under his breath, "you broke her."


	25. Maybe (Flashback)

"...yeah, she went in a downward spiral of denial when I told her."

"Paula? In love with PJ? Ha!" Katy was quite amused at what her black-haired friend was telling her.

"Katy! I'm serious!" Parappa whined, "why are you laughing?!"

"They hate each other's guts, remember?" Matt indirectly stated.

"Oh yeah..."

"Well, I've gotta bounce. Dance pratice is soon. See ya!" And just like that, Katy left.

"Hey! PJ!" Parappa called out to his friend who lay asleep in the grass.

"Meh..what?" PJ was slightly annoyed, but Parappa was his friend.

"Guess what."

"What?"

Parappa opened his mouth to speak, but then lost his words. How would he put this?

"What?!" PJ was annoyed by his friend waking him up again.

"I was just wondering, would you like to meet someone special tonight?" Parappa finally got words to come to him.

"Oh really?"

Parappa nods.

"And who, pray tell, may this 'special someone' be?"

Parappa motioned PJ to lean in closer.

"You have a secret admirer," Parappa whispered.

"When's Paula gonna get here?" Matt groaned, "I didn't come here to just watch PJ eat his own weight is whatever crap they're serving him."

"She's gonna be here!" Parappa shushed his tall friend. They, Sunny and Katy, were all watching PJ's table from afar. Matt didn't completely trust in Parappa's plan, but Parappa practically begged for Matt's insistence.

"Guys, look!" Sunny called out, interrupting what would have been a quarrel.

Sure enough, Paula had arrived.

"So..you're PJ Berri," Paula said.

"One and only," PJ replied, trying to sound cool.

"I heard some things about you."

PJ just turned his focus on his food.

"I hope this works..." Parappa muttered.

Back at the park, the six friends met up again.

"So, how was your day?"~ Parappa cheerfully asked.

"Well, I got to know PJ a little bit better," Paula responded, "some things I didn't want to, though..."

"Don't get anything wrong!" PJ interjected, "we're just friends..."

Parappa sighed audibly, his head hanging low. Matt saw this as an "I told you so" moment, but that would just be rubbing salt in the wound.

"I know you had something to do with this," PJ leaned in to his moping friend.

"I'm sorry," Parappa sighed again, "she just seemed really into you-"

"If that's the case, I might give a chance. Just for you."

"Really?!"

PJ nodded.


End file.
